In a bid to secure the top spot in Group F and advance to the last 16 of Euro 2024, Turkey and Portugal face off at Westfalenstadion in Dortmund on Saturday evening.

Both teams enjoyed successful starts on matchday one. Turkey triumphed 3-1 over tournament newcomers Georgia, while Portugal managed a 2-1 comeback victory against the Czech Republic.

 Portugal entered Euro 2024 with a perfect qualifying record of 10 wins from 10 games. However, they were on the brink of defeat in their opening Group F match until they overturned a second-half deficit against the Czech Republic.

Currently level on points with Turkey at the top of Group F, Portugal has kept only one clean sheet in their last six international matches, a point of concern for coach Roberto Martinez. 

Nonetheless, Portugal can draw confidence from their recent record against Turkey, having won their last six competitive meetings, scoring at least twice in four of those encounters.

Team News

Turkey's opening victory was particularly notable given the absence of key players like Caglar Soyuncu, Ozan Kabak, Ridvan Yilmaz, Enes Unal, Cengiz Under, and Umut Nayir due to injuries.

Turkey made history by becoming only the second team in European Championship history to start two teenagers, with Guler and fellow 19-year-old Kenan Yildiz in the lineup. 

Both youngsters might continue to feature on the flanks against Portugal. However, Coach Vincenzo Montella has indicated that Guler is not fully fit, and a late decision will be made regarding his inclusion, with Kerem Akturkoglu ready to step in if needed.

Captain Hakan Calhanoglu is one booking away from suspension but is expected to play in a deeper midfield role alongside Kaan Ayhan. Montella might consider replacing Ayhan with either Borussia Dortmund's Salih Ozcan or West Bromwich Albion's Okay Yokuslu. 

Zeki Celik and Merih Demiral are both pushing for a return to defense, but the back four of Muldur, Samet Akaydin, Abdulkerim Bardakci, and Ferdi Kadioglu is likely to remain unchanged. Feyenoord's Orkun Kokcu could retain his position in the number 10 role ahead of Lille's Yusuf Yazici.

For Portugal, Martinez might stick with the 3-4-3 formation used against the Czech Republic. This setup could see Nuno Mendes on the left side of a back three alongside Pepe and Ruben Dias, with Diogo Dalot and Joao Cancelo as wing-backs. 

Vitinha, who delivered a man-of-the-match performance last time, is expected to start in midfield alongside Bruno Fernandes, relegating Joao Palhinha, Joao Neves, and Ruben Neves to the bench.

At 39, Cristiano Ronaldo aims to become the oldest goalscorer in European Championship history and will lead the attack, flanked by Bernardo Silva on the right and Rafael Leao on the left. 

Ronaldo is already the all-time leading scorer in the European Championship (14 goals) and is just one assist away from matching Karel Poborsky's record for most assists (eight) in the tournament.

Turkey Possible Starting Lineup:

Gunok; Muldur, Akaydin, Bardakci, Kadioglu; Ozcan, Calhanoglu; Akturkoglu, Kokcu, Yildiz; Yilmaz

Portugal Possible Starting Lineup:

Costa; Pepe, Dias, Mendes; Dalot, Fernandes, Vitinha, Cancelo; Bernardo, Ronaldo, Leao